Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus

I had an old and rather tatty looking Sycamore at the ned of the garden, prvious owners have butchered it although it has regrown quite a large crown, which needs tidying up again. However a couple of questions.

It always seems to be full of aphids which then causes sap to drop all over everything underneath, is there an easy way to control this when up a tree?

Also it has a 'double' trunk which is partly fused together, and part has a large hole in one trunk, how much of a problem is this likely to be?

Thanks in advance

 

In my experience Sycamores are just prone to heavy aphid infestation and not sure there is anything to be done about it

They are not native to UK and were brought here by the Romans............you might be better off removing it altogether and planting a native tree of some sort

Sycamore wood is used for wooden bowls and plates and other food implements as it doesn't taint food...........the tree can be tapped for its sap in early spring to make wine with although I have never tried it...........the wood also burns reasonably well on a wood burning stove but only when well seasoned

 

Hi Tropical_Gaz,

Sycamores are, as strayaway mentioned, especially prone to aphid infestation and tar spot. Although unsightly and an annoyance they generally do little harm as the trees are quite resillient to them.

The double trunk you mentioned is known as a codominant stem and can, in certain circumstances, cause problems later on in the tree's life. If the bark between the two stems begins to grown inward it becomes what is termed as 'included bark'. This is where there is a layer of bark between the two stems, meaning that there is less joining wood, therefore less strength between the two stems. Equally important is the collection of water and dead material in the crotch/form, as this can be a breeding ground for decay. Basal decay can be a problem in codominant stemmed trees in high winds/storms as they easily split. A picture of the tree and a few close-ups of the stem would be helpful.

My advice: If it has been butchered in the past it is probably on a downward spiral anyway and it's Compartmentalization Of Decay In Trees (CODIT) ability lessened. Basically, the tree's immune system could be significantly weakened. You may want to seriously consider removal and replanting with a more suitable species.

All the best,
Matthew

 

Gaz I get aphids in annoying numbers on my ACER pseudoplatanus Brilliantisimum. It's still a nice small tree and managable for spraying early on. I did it with rose clear last week and it gets rid of the bulk of the aphids. We have a few sycamores around at the end of the gardens and something else that is annoying is small red spots on the leaves. Obviously a large tree can't be treated easily like this, the sticky deposits are very annoying as we have a similar abeit much smaller issue with the wild cherries at the end of the garden. I would be inclined to hack it back to a nice shape and more managable size.